The path he chooses to walk
by Chiaki Hamano
Summary: "Mabel, Bill offered me a path that leads to greatness, knowledge and power that's filled with destruction and dead bodies piling up. You offered me a path back to our family filled with joy, laughter, love and happiness. Do you know which path I choose?" - After NWHS - AU-ish
1. Prologue

This is my newest story. It's inspired by a picture on Tumblr. Beware of dark theme and character deaths.

Disclaimer: I don't own Gravity Falls

**Introduction**

Dipper stood there, shock was visible on his face as he stared at the man in front of him. The man looked nearly identical to Grunkle Stan. With the same features, and the same… "Oh my god…" He whispered, unable to close his mouth from shock. He would have fainted like Soos if he could even move a single muscle. "W-What is going on?! I don't understand… What's happening here?! What do you mean by he's your brother? And the author of the journals?!" Dipper demanded angrily, hating this feeling of utter confusion. He felt like a big piece of the puzzle was missing and yet, he was so close to getting it now. It frustrated him to no end.

"It's like I said, kid… He's my brother… Stanley Pines…" Stan said, taking a step forward, his movements were shaky because he couldn't believe his own eyes. His brother… His brother was truly here. There were one thousands things Stan wanted to say. Why did you do it? What about your family? Didn't you care about them at all? What about me?

Stan stayed silent, sweat trickled down his neck. This… This wasn't how he hoped it would go. He knew it wouldn't be sunshine and roses but he didn't think it would be this bad, either.

"Long time no see, Stanford. I see that you still keep the habit of wrecking my place." Stanley said finally after a tense moment of silence.

Stan swallowed down a lump. "Sorr-Sorry about that, bro. You know all your things are a bit rusty and um… they have the tendency to break…?' He said lamely and Stanford couldn't help but snort. "So you're telling me that the portal suddenly started on its own and I magically appeared here?" He asked, crossing his arms warily.

He glanced down at the little kids. One boy, one slightly older boy and a little girl. "You brought _children_ to this, Stanford?! Have you had no shame? They are just little children!" Stanley said and Dipper felt his cheeks heat up. He was not a child! He was practically a teenager!

"I didn't mean for them to know, honestly! It was just supposed to me bringing you back, that's all…" Stan (Or was it Stanford now?) said sadly. "They aren't… just any children, they are your grandchildren… The boy and the girl here." He added softly.

"W-What? My… What?" Stanley whipped his head back to stare at Stanford to make sure that he had herd it correctly. His brother wasn't joking though. There was no 'Haha, you got pranked', just a solemn look.

"If they are my grandchildren… Does that mean… My son… How is he now?!" Stanley immediately demanded, gripping Stanford by his collar. "I demand you to tell me right this instant, how long have I gone now? How is he? Is he still… Is he mad at me for leaving him? How is his life right now?" A torrent of questions escaped Stanley's lips. His little boy… When he left, his boy was still so small…

"Thirty years, Stanley… It has been thirty years…" Stanford whispered, placing a gentle hand on Stanley's wrist to make him let go of his shirt collar. "Impossible! There's no way… There's no way it has been thirty years…" Stanley mumbled, looking distraught. Stanford didn't blame him. Leaving like that and when he came back, everything had changed so much… It would shock anyone to be honest.

"He's still fine… Pointdexter, you have to calm down, you are scaring the kids…" Stanford said, placing a hand on Stanley's shoulder who immediately shrugged it off. The gray hair twin suppressed a hurt look. "Don't touch me. I'm still furious at you." Stanley said, glaring at his brother. "You have no idea how mad I am at you right now. How can you put the entire Universe in danger… _again?_!" Stanley asked and huffed.

"But I have a more pressing matter to attend to." He said coolly and knelt down in front of the two children. He allowed a gentle smile to settle down on his face, completely unlike the coldness he was showing his brother. These were just little children. They didn't deserve anger from him. "So, you are my grandchildren…" He began. "May I at least know your name?" He asked politely, not making any sudden movement.

Dipper watched the conversation between the two Stans with wide eyes and he seemed to snap out of his shock when the man knelt down. "U-Um… Dipper." He said quickly. "But are you really the author of the journals?" He asked, wanting to know if this man was the one writing all the amazing things he had read all summer.

Mabel seemed to recover as well. She gave him a bright, sunny smile. "Are you really our Grandpa?" She asked, ready to jump in joy.

Stanley just chuckled at the excitement in their voices. "Yes, I wrote the journal. And I'm pretty sure that I'm your grandfather as well. Unless the wizards get to him and alter his DNA." He added the last part with a slight teasing tone and was pleased to see the children's faces changed into a whiter shade of color. "What? The wizards?"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I'm just kidding. It has been so long." Stanley couldn't help but say, ruffling their hair. "Ugh… No, don't mess with my hair." Dipper grunted, moving away. "I don't understand what is going on! I demand an answer." He said, making Stanford grunt. "I will give you one… Please just be patient with me… Why don't we all just… go upstairs and enjoy a cup of tea and calmly discuss this…?" He suggested.

Mabel jumped. "Or a cup of Mabel juice!" She said loudly and Dipper resisted the urge to roll his eyes. How could she act so childish in such a serious situation?!

Stanley stood up slowly. "I need explanation as well. And you had better give me a valid explanation as to why destroying the entire universe is so great." He grumbled, dusting his knees.

"I don't… feel so good…" Stanley suddenly said, swaying on his feet. Stanford was immediately at his side, worry writing all over his face. "What happened? Did you get hurt? How are you feeling?" He asked, worried for his brother.

"I don't… know… Kinda… Hungry…" Stanley mumbled and just promptly collapsed, making Dipper and Mabel panic at the same time.

"Calm down, kids. He's okay… It has been 30 years… He just needs time to recover. Come help me get upstairs and to the couch…" Stanford said.

"What about those government guys, Grunkle Stan?" Mabel asked innocently, dragging a very, very heavy Soos slowly up the steps as well.

Dipper stood there for a bit, looking at Mabel and then at his liar of a grunkle and then his new… grandpa? Before he grunted. "I still have the memory eraser gun. I can deal with them." He volunteered, actually sick of not having control over the situation.

"Be careful out there, kid…" Stanford said seriously and Dipper jerked his head. He opened his mouth to comment something before he snapped it shut and grunted incoherently, going to retrieve his weapon of choice. He would get some answers real soon but in the meantime, he needed to deal with those government guys first… It seemed his Grunkle wasn't too keen on helping him, either. He was too busy fussing over the other guy…

Dipper glanced at Mabel, a mix of hurt by her distrust of his words and also, a bit of concern. He had seen her cry before. But never like earlier. It literally broke his heart to see her tears of pain… He didn't want her to be hurt. Dipper gently reached out to Mabel's hand a quick squeeze before he went off to deal with the mess.

This was not how the day was supposed to end.

**Author Note: Please read and comment~ Have fun, guys. Your comments make my day.**


	2. Conversations

**Author note: I have come back with another chapter for 'The Path He Chooses To Walk'. Enjoy the new chapter and please comment. I apologize in advance if you guys spot any grammar/vocabulary mistakes. English isn't my native language.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Gravity Falls obviously...**

**Chapter 1: Conversations**

Dipper was sitting at the steps in front of the Mystery Shack. After the government guys were dealt of properly, the whole family had to sit down and talk seriously. It was a tense situation. A really tense one. Dipper had excused himself after hearing the whole conversation and told everyone that he needed some alone time which he desperately needed. The boy stared at the ground, kicking a rock away. His head was still reeling from the sheer amount of information and his mind was spinning from the weight of the truth.

He didn't really know how long he sat there, just trying to process all the information. It was hard though… It was too hard to believe what he heard was real. Finally, after what it seemed like forever, the front door opened. "Hey, bro bro, I know you need your me time and all that but it's Dinner time now, you can eat and then brood later." Mabel said, a bit less cheerful than usual. It seemed like he wasn't the only one affected by the news. He stared at her for a long while before he nodded. "Yeah, sure." Dipper said, watching as Mabel gave him a beaming smile, probably to make him lighten up before she went back inside to inform the two Stans that Dipper would have dinner with them.

Dipper stared at Mabel's back for a long while, an unreadable look on his face. He didn't really know what to think of the whole... Mabel trusted a conman over him thing... It hurt. And he knew he saw it as some sort of... betrayal. Yeah, sure, his granddad did come back from that, and he turned out to be the author that Dipper was looking for but the shock was beginning to die down, leaving Dipper in a darker mood than usual. He hated being so spiteful about everything. But it was just the way he was. He wasn't some hero. Dipper knew that. But for the sake of everyone, he just had to fit in the 'role'. The stereotype role with Mabel as the kind-hearted, dumb, silly twin while Dipper was the smart twin who could solve everything. He was just a kid... And yet, despite knowing that, he still felt guilty for being mad at Mabel.

It was kinda unfair for Mabel to be honest. She didn't have a lot of time thinking about it. And yet, yet Dipper wanted her to trust him. He wanted her to trust her twin because all evidences had pointed toward the fact that Stanford wasn't to be trusted. Kicking another rock away, Dipper just smoothed down his bang to cover the weird birthmark that he had. His hat had been lost while the portal was activated and Dipper hadn't gotten around it to ask for a second hat. Nor did he want to really. He was angry at his Grunkle for lying the whole summer. If he would just say that heh knew the author when Dipper borrowed him the book it would be nice. Hell! He should have just kept his promise when they were dealing with those zombies and didn't keep anymore secrets from Dipper.

The thought made Dipper angry and he frowned, walking to the table a bit more angrily than he wanted to. "Hi." Dipper grunted, sitting down next to Mabel, separating himself away from the two Stans as far as possible. He would have avoided his sister, too. But the table didn't allow it. He uncomfortably pumped handed with his sister and began to eat his dinner, listening to the conversations more than he talked. He just didn't feel like it. After dinner, Dipper quickly excused himself and went upstairs, grabbing his own journal and started scribbling notes. He glanced at the drawer where Journal 3 usually laid, now empty of the book. His Granddad had decided it was best to keep all three journals with him since it could have easily fallen into the wrong hands and creating havoc... Dipper just simply missed it.

He scowled slightly, his pen stabbed the paper. He felt possessive of the journal. Yeah, it was kinda... his granddad's property and he had all rights to take it back. But Dipper wanted to keep it. It had been his treasure. His pride. The thing that made him so different from other people. It was all because of the information in the book. Now that it was just.. gone like that. It made him feel useless and like he was no longer special. He snapped his journal shut. There was no way he could be any productive with these trains of thoughts. Maybe he should take a nap or something. That would usually give him strength and make him less crappy.

Dipper barely noticed it when Mabel came to the room, wanting to say something. "Hey, Dipper... Can I talk to you? About something?" She asked unsurely. Dipper, stressed from everything, was simply not a very pleasant person to be around with. "No. I'm really tired, Mabel. Look, it has been a long day and I just want to rest. Can this thing wait?" He asked. Mabel sighed. "I guess it can... Sleep tight, bro bro." She said and closed the door to go off doing her own thing. Dipper sighed in relief. Finally, peace and quiet.

The boy closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep. It's time for some nightmares~

* * *

"How can you lie to them... again?!" Stanley was not happy with his brother, shoving him back and glared at him with undisguised anger. "I didn't lie to them! I just... I just haven't told them the whole truth yet! They are just... 12 years old, Stanley! They don't have to carry the burden of the entire world on their shoulders!" Stanford protested. "Well, I'm pretty sure that after what they have seen earlier, their 'innocence' has may as well lost already! They have every right to know what is going on with... with just everything!" Stanley said.

"Look, pointdexter." Stanford grunted, rubbing his temper. "I know this may seem like an alien concept to you, but the truth is, children... don't think like adults. They don't process the information the way that us adults do. They just don't have enough life experience to cope with it. Sure, it's bad of me to hold back such important information. And I know it's going to bite me in the ass sooner or later. With my luck, probably sooner. But!" Stanford placed a hand over Stanley's mouth when he tried to speak. "No, listen to me first. But no matter what is going to happen. And no matter how angry they will be at me for not being truthful to them again, I'm still going to do it. Even if I were given the choice to have that conversation again, I'm still going to choose the exact same way. You don't understand. You are smart, Stanley. Really smart, like, one of the smartest people that I have met in my entire life. And you know I have a pretty crazy life so if I say you are the smartest, then you are. But you are really dumb about how emotions work!" He exclaimed, throwing his hands up in despair.

"The fact that they are still so young changes everything. If they know the full information, they still have no power whatsoever to change it. They can't just... hire a genius technician to build them a portal. They can't solve the problem knowing the information anyway. So I want to keep their innocence just a bit more. It's stupid of me to do it, but they are still my grandniece and grandnephew right there. I don't know how to explain to their parents if something happens to them... They have gone through a lot... Please, Stanley, please, let them keep the remained of their innocence..." Stanford said, sighing. He probably still hadn't gotten through his brother's thick head yet. But who knows? A guy could dream...

"Look, I appreciate you trying so hard to protect them." Stanley began when Stanford was done. "But the thing is, everything is going to change pretty soon. Everything they care about will be in danger. Even their lives can be in danger. Can you live with yourself knowing that you have inevitably caused their deaths because they are so ignorant?" He asked. "Okay, so the information that they know won't help them change the fate of the world. And the shit is still going to hit the fan anyway. So wouldn't it be better that they come prepared?" Stanley asked. "It's still better facing it prepared than not. Your method is more... I don't know... More... emotional base. But when you are in a war, or when you are in this type of situation, emotions won't be able to help you live longer." He said.

"Plus, they kept my last journal. And by the time I wrote it, I wasn't quite... there anymore. So if they are any intelligent... Or even if they have enough common sense, they would have understood it a long time ago. Their innocence has been lost the day they opened my journal and seeing all these mysteries." He said coolly. "I'm pretty sure they have read the page about that thing, too. And if they are smart, they will realize the 'funny red dots' were my blood, not tomato ketchup." He said, frowning. "I'm going to assume that, you, still stupidly trying to convince yourself that they are wee little babies who need all the protection from this world's evils, still don't understand it." He said.

"I do understand what you want to say! For God's sake, drop that tone of voice. I'm still your brother and if you can't show me respect, then at least talk to me like a normal human being! I know the risk of them not knowing, but I'm sure we can still find a way to stop it from happening! Then they will never have to know. Then everyone can go home happy!" Stanford said, "Drop the charade. You know things aren't going to sunshine and roses. If you are not telling them, then I will." Stanley said.

Stanford frowned and grabbed his brother's wrist. "I won't allow it." He said. "Let. Me. Go." Stanley shot back dangerously but Stanford wasn't afraid. This was his brother who cried when he got teased for having six fingers. This was the brother he had shared everything with. He had seen the scariest side of Stanley. So he was confident that Stanley wouldn't be able to go through with his words. "You talk as if you know the best for everyone. Well, new flash, pointdexter. You don't. If you did then you wouldn't have walked through that portal, you would have just stayed back for your child and none of this would have happened. We could have found another way to do it." Stanford knew this was an evil move, to just tap such a sore spot. But this was the only way he knew how to stop his brother.

"We could have found another way...?" Stanley asked slowly. "We could have found another way?! How dare you talk to me that way!" The author growled, slamming Stanford against the wall, gripping his collar. "You think I would have done it if there had been another way?!" He asked, heat seeped into his voice. "It was the hardest decision I have ever made. Fiddleford ran away because he couldn't take the weight of the truth any longer. He has a family. A wife, a son, a life. How could I ask him to do it?! You... You just don't have enough knowledge to shut down the portal! You think it was easy for me to leave my wife and my own son behind?! You think I haven't stayed up for days trying to come up with another way? Do you even... Can you even comprehend how much it hurts just to leave the two lights in my life?! I didn't have any other choices! I didn't want to leave my wife or my son or hell, I wasn't even ready to leave you! I had to do it because no one else could! I had to choose between the universe and my own family... I think I made a god damn good choice." He said, glaring angrily at his brother. How dare he touched such a sensitive subject?!

"Oh I know why you did it, alright. I know why you mentioned the past things.' Stanley said coldly. "You won this round. I won't tell them yet. But mark my words, if their lives are in danger, they won't forgive you. And I won't, either." He said, slamming the door to the room shut with a loud bang as he walked out, clenching his teeth.

Stanford sighed in relief but then guilt welled up and he just rubbed his eyes. "Well, that certainly could have gone... better..." He mumbled under his breath, sighing. He watched the closed door and mentally counted in his head. '3... 2... 1...'

BANG

The door opened again and Stanley walked in. "I forgot. This is my room. You. Out." Stanley snapped, pushing Stanford out. That... That was seriously not cool. Stanford turned around and looked at his brother with a slight smile. "You are still my dorky, clumsy brother, huh?" He asked and Stanley narrowed his eyes. "I have no idea what you are talking about. Nothing happened." He said, closing the door to Stanford's face and locked it. "Personal space!" He said and Stanford had to hold back a small puff of laughter, knowing that it was inappropriate to laugh right now. He could imagine a teenage Stanley screaming 'Personal space!' with his squeaky, cracking voice. "Just like old time, bro." He smiled and left Stanley alone, knowing that he needed some peace right now.

* * *

Mabel wasn't having the greatest time of her life... Her family was falling apart around her and she couldn't even do anything to fix it. She was trying though. At the dinner table, she tried to talk to everyone, babbling about happy, cheerful things just to get the conversation going. Still, it wasn't not much of help. Soos was busy staring at the author (Her granddad) with stars in his eyes. And Dipper was trying to cope with the hurt and betrayed feeling he had toward Grunkle Stan. Two two Stans didn't even seem to like each other! She sighed, hugging one of her many stuffed toys close. "What should I do now?" She asked herself, feeling worried. She had a gut feeling that something bad would happen pretty soon. And yet, if they didn't work together, then how could they stop this 'great force of evil'? She closed her eyes. Maybe a good night sleep would help calm everyone down. She certainly needed to rest...

* * *

Dipper opened his eyes groggily only to stare at a gray surrounding. He groaned and rubbed his tempers. "Great... Like I didn't have enough problems already..." He muttered, looking around warily. "I don't know why you brought me here. But I'm not interested. Leave me alone, Bill." Dipper said tiredly, sitting down on the edge of a cliff, looking down to see broken pieces of memories flashing around. So this was his head. "Why are you even in my head anyway? It's not like I have anything special to hide. I don't have anything that you need." He said, not even showing surprised when Bill suddenly appeared next to him. He was bright yellow and cheerful and chipper. Exactly what Dipper wasn't right now. The demon tapped Dipper on his shoulder. He would have worn a huge grin if he could. Bill chimed happily. "You are not happy to see me? Aww, I'm hurt~"

Dipper scoffed. "And I don't care. Now go away and leave me and my mind alone." He said, crossing his arms. He would have run but this was a dream demon, he wasn't going to be able to run away from him. He closed his eyes and imagined a wall between them. This was his mind. And Bill was a guest. A powerful guest. But still a guest nontheless. He had full control here. He heard a small THUD and Bill's dignified yep. "What did you do that for?!" Bill said, ready to throw a fit. He waved his hand and made the top half of the wall disappeared, peering through the look at Dipper, floating in the air. "It's scary how fast you learn how to control your mind, kid. I know people who can't even conjure a brick, let alone a wall." Bill said, amusement seeped to his voice.

"It's not that hard to do this after I kicked your ass in Grunkle Stan's mindscape." He said, frowning at the name. "Now leave me alone. I'm not making any deals with you. And I'm not interested in watching you try to mess with my mind." He said. "You are no fun, Pine Tree." Bill whined, looking at the tiny human. "I saw what happened. Must be pretty shocking to know that your own Grunkle is a traitor and a liar, huh? I too would feel betrayed if I had a Grunkle like that... And if I were human, of course." Bill said, making Dipper scoff. "Don't try to rile me up. It's not working." He said, gritting his teeth. He hated how much Bill's words affected him. It always got to him every single time. It was like Bill knew every single sore spot that he had...

"Oh but I think it is~ If it didn't, you wouldn't be gritting your teeth like that~" Bill chimed in a sing song voice. "You must be hurting so much~ Your sister chose you over an old man, and then the 'author' you were looking for turned out to be your Granddad who abandoned you in favor of something shitty." He said. "You know something interesting?" Bill asked, coming to Dipper's side, scooting closer. Dipper was too tired to chase the evil triangle away. "What?" He asked, frowning. "The Apocalypse will still come." Bill said, tilting his top hat.

"What?! The Apocalypse is still coming?!" Dipper jumped and then narrowed his eyes. "No. I don't believe you. You always lie to me. Like the whole thing with the body possession. I'm not going to trust you a second time. I'm not that dumb." He scoffed and crossed his arms.

"Now, now, kid... News for you, Pine Tree. I have never lied to you. Not even once." Bill said. Dipper's scowl deepened. "Yeah, right. Like I would believe that." He muttered, making Bill sigh dramatically like he was talking to an exceptionally dumb child. Dipper hated it.

"First of all, when I entered your Grunkle's dream to steal that memory, I did not lie. I don't even hide my intention. You know it." Bill pointed out. "What about that Puppet show? What's your excuse?" Dipper shot back. "Did I lie? I said I wanted a puppet. It was your mind that made the connection that I want one of your stupid sock puppets. If you asked which one that I wanted, you could have known my intention. So how could you say that's a lie?" He asked, counter arguing Dipper.

"Who knows? Maybe you still haven't gotten the chance to lie yet..." Dipper muttered, staring at his hands. "Seriously, Bill. Go away. I don't want to make any deals right now. You have nothing to offer me." He said, frowning.

"Well, even though I'm a demon of business. Sometimes, I have freebies, too~" Bill chimed. "If you want to check to see if I'm lying or not, you can ask questions. Of course, you can't be sure if I'm lying anyway but it will reassure you somewhat, right~?" Bill asked, Dipper grunted. "Now shoot."

Dipper sighed heavily and turned to Bill. "Why do you have to torment me so?" He asked, groaning. Just to entertain the demon, Dipper asked the first question tiredly. "Is the portal going to cause the Apocalypse?" Dipper asked, expecting some sort of mind-boggling answer. Bill surprised him though. "Yes, yes it will." He answered smoothly.

"And how do you know that?" Dipper asked, shifting his attention toward Bill a bit more. He hated to admit it but he was interested in the answer.

Bill, on the other hand, looked so done. "Pine Tree, please ask something a little bit more intelligent. I'm a being of knowledge. Of course I would know about it." He deadpanned. Dipper still had the decency to blush. "Stupid triangle." He grumbled. "Fine. How can I stop this Apocalypse?" Dipper asked, uncrossing his arms and peered at Bill Cipher, wanting to know the answer. He didn't want to destruct this universe. He was living in it!

"Classified information, Pine Tree."

"What?! That's not fair!" Dipper said, frowning. "It's not a matter of fairness or not. I'm very powerful and there are a lot of things that I can do. But there are a few rules that I'm bound to. And one of them is never to attempt to change the inevitable." Bill explained. Dipper bit his lip. "So the Apocalypse is going to happen one way or another? Don't people usually say the future isn't set in stone?" Dipper asked. Bill shrugged.

"It isn't. But once a choice is made, there are certain consequences that will happen. Had you successfully stopped that portal, then the Apocalypse wouldn't become real. I know how to stop it. But I can't tell you. That violates the rule. Sure, you can go ahead and attempt to find a way to stop it. But I can't tell you, kid." Bill said. "See? I'm not too terrible of a being, ain't I? What's so bad about me anyway?" Bill cooed and Dipper grew wary again. "You are still a demon. I don't trust you." He said, scooting away.

Bill almost pouted. He would if he had lips so instead, he placed his hands on either sides of him instead. "Well, I told you what you want to know already. Now will you hear me out about my free offer?" Bill asked. He could see so much potential in this boy. How could Dipper not see it himself? Such a waste of talent.

"What do you mean by free offers? Is this some kind of scam to get my body again?" Dipper asked. He didn't want to be possessed again. It was unpleasant enough that he had to talk with a dream demon right now, he didn't want his body to be violated another time.

"No, no, no, nothing like that. I'm done with your meatsack. You are way too weak anyway." Bill waved his hand dismissively. "Then what do you want?" Dipper asked. "I don't want anything. It's a freebie. I give this to you for free." Bill said smugly. "Alright, so say it. What is this free thing you are offering me?" Dipper asked. "Come with me. I will teach you magic." Bill said seriously. Dipper's eyes widened. "WHAT?!" He asked.

"No way! I'm not coming with you! And I don't need your... dark magic. They are probably full of sacrifices or something creepy anyway." Dipper said. "I'm not killing anyone. I don't want to kill, and blood makes me feel sick. I'm not joining your... cult or something like that. Just no. Dream on." Dipper said. Of course Bill would want Dipper to come with him... And here he thought Bill was doing something from the goodness of his heart. Ugh. How naive.

"Pine Tree, if I need a sacrifice each and every time I use magic, all of you meatsacks would be dead by now." Bill said. "As a matter of fact, my power is based on emotions, not sacrifices. I don't think you understand what I'm offering you right now." He said, taking Dipper's hand and gripped his wrist tightly no matter how much he was struggling to jerk away. "I'm offering you knowledge. I'm offering you power. I'm offering you a chance to become someone different. Aren't you getting tired of letting your sister take all your glory? You are the smart guy, and yet everything seems to go against you. Your Grunkle is harsh on you. Your crush doesn't even like you back. Hell, even at school, you have no friends. Don't you think it is time for that to change?" Bill asked softly, finally letting Dipper jerk his hand away.

"I'm not... I'm not going to betray my family because of this... this... power or whatever... I don't want... knowledge and power that much.." His voice laced with a bit of doubt. It was written in practically every book already. If a demon offered you power and knowledge, you usually had to sell your soul. And Dipper still kinda valued his soul a lot. So no... He wasn't going to... Do that... Yeah... "Yeah, right. Let's see how long you can keep saying that. Remember, the Author is back now. Six fingers is going to take your place as the knowledgeable guy. You are no longer the smart guy in the team, Pine Tree. Everything you know, the journal that you rely on, it's in Six Fingers' hand now. Your Grunkle loves Shooting Star because of her decision... You have no place in their heart anymore." Dipper shivered.

"Y-You are lying." He said, gritting his teeth. "Oh I am? Well, my offer will still stand. But it won't be for long. You have one week to decide, Pine Tree. I believe one week is enough for you to realize that you are no longer important to them. Meet me in the woods, the place where you found that Smart Mushroom thing. I will be waiting there along with someone else. Make up your mind fast, kid. The world is coming to an end and by following me, you have the first seat to watch it burn and even a good chance to save it. Be with them though...?" Bill tapped the place that Dipper imagined was his chin. "Well... Not so much. You probably will burn with them. But pain is hilarious, right?" Bill laughed loudly and Dipper jerked awake, sweat soaked the shirt he was wearing.

Dipper looked around to make sure there was no creepy triangles stalking him before he took a cautious sniff of his shirt. Mabel would probably make him do the laundry again. Dipper sighed and collapsed onto the bed. Well, so much for a good night rest. He was just going to stare at the ceiling and try to see if there was any deception in Bill's words. Still... A thought still slowly crept up in his mind.

What if Bill was right? What if he was no longer the smart guy?

Dipper sighed softly. This was simply too messed up...

End of chapter 1

* * *

**Side story - What hasn't been told: Dinner's meal**

Mabel stared.

Stanford stared...

Dipper looked vaguely like he was about to puke.

Soos... Was still Soos for the most part, just with stars in his eyes now.

Apparently, after 30 years of being who knows where, people developed a bit of an... appetite. A bit... Dipper watched with opened mouth and one twitching eye as the author, the one that he had idolized for months now, obsessed with him even, shoving food down his throat at an inhuman speed. Even Mabel had stopped eating in favour of staring with completely wonder. Dipper tried to close his mouth. How on earth could he eat so much and so fast? He was going to choke for sure!

"Um... So where... Where did the... Um... portal take you... Um... Granddad?" Dipper began awkwardly. Stanley looked up from his plate and shoved down a huge bite of food down his throat again. "Somewhere... far away." He said, the words coming out more like 'mnhdh fnjhpmh' because there was too much food in his mouth. Soos wordlessly handed him a glass of water. "Umm... Is... Is he always like this?" Dipper whispered. If this was what the author was like, Dipper wasn't sure if he could idolize the man anymore. Especially when he had just stolen what Dipper claimed as his slice of pizza.

"Well! It looks like you need a glass of Mabel Juice! That will always do the trick!" Mabel beamed and ran to grab the concoction of death. Stanley gave Mabel a smile. "Oh thank you. You are so sweet." He said and took a huge gulp before Dipper could stop him. "This is really good!"

"No!" Dipper shouted but it was too late! Stanley paused. "I think... I drank something hard..." Stanley said uncertainly and stared at the empty glass. Everyone in the table paled. Even Mabel. Stanford actually winced and leaned closer, whispering something in Stanley's ear. "..."

Slowly, the color drained away from Stanley's face as he stared at his stomach. Oh uh...

A few days later, Stanley returned a plastic dinosaur to Mabel and no one asked why Mabel had to scrub the toy for 3 hours straight. And no one even questioned why Stanley always ate slowly nowadays, checking for his food and drinks nervously.

And that's the story of why Stanley never eats or drinks something without checking it carefully beforehand.

Needless to say, the amount of Mabel Juice had also been decreased since then.

* * *

**Blooper - Behind the scene:**

Take 1:

"How could you lie to them... again?!" Stanley exclaimed, not happy with his brother. "I didn't tell them the whole truth, that's not lying!" Stanford shot back.

"You should have told them that's just Tomato Ketchup! Now they all think that's my blood!"

Take 2:

"Strawberry sauce!"

Take 3:

"My manly tears of doom!"

"Those aren't even red, pointdexter..."

"It's my line. I can say it however I want. Suck it!"


End file.
